1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for busy override in an internet protocol-based telephone system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voice over IP (VoIP) is a recent technological development in the field of telecommunications that is utilized to transmit voice conversations over a data network using the Internet Protocol (IP). After a user subscribes to a VoIP service, the user can make phone calls to other VoIP subscribers or to public switched telephone network (PSTN) customers and access a number of features associated with the VoIP service, such as call waiting, three-way calling, call forwarding, voicemail service, and the like. Notably, call waiting is a telephony service where a user is able to suspend a current telephone call and switch to a new incoming telephone call. Typically, the user is alerted to the new incoming call by a tone or like type indication. The user can then switch back-and-forth between the previous and new telephone calls.
Typically, the user is afforded the opportunity to turn the call waiting feature on or off at will. For example, the user can enter a predefined sequence prior to dialing a telephone number, such as *70 or the like, to disable call waiting for an individual call. In another example, a user can log into an account manager (e.g., via the Internet) and turn off call waiting for all calls. When call waiting has been so disabled, the VoIP system will not alert the user of new incoming calls while the user is on a current call. Instead, the VoIP system designates user as busy. For example, the VoIP system may send all new incoming calls to voicemail or return a busy signal thereto while the user is on a current call.
One problem with the current call waiting feature is the inability to reach a user who has disabled call waiting during an emergency. For example, a user may generally desire to disable call waiting, but would not mind being interrupted by an incoming call in case of emergency. Presently, a caller must try and contact the user who has disabled call waiting using another mechanism when the user is on a call, such as trying the user's mobile telephone, calling the user's neighbor, and the like, to the extent the caller even knows any of these alternative mechanisms. This may prevent the user from receiving urgent information in a timely manner.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and apparatus for a busy override feature in an internet protocol-based telephone system, such as a VoIP system.